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Safeguarding

How BizTeach keeps students safe online, how we respond to concerns, and who to contact, following the Children First Act 2015 and national guidance.

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1.Our commitment

BizTeach is built by a teacher for teenagers, and the safety and welfare of every student who uses it comes first. We recognise our responsibilities under the Children First Act 2015 and Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children (2017), and we design the product, our processes and our AI coach around them.

BizTeach is an online study tool, not a school, a childcare service or a substitute for adult supervision. Students remain under the care of their parents, guardians and schools while they use it.

2.Designated Liaison Person

Our Designated Liaison Person (DLP) for child protection is Wendy Smyth, Founder [to confirm; name a deputy DLP too]. The DLP is the point of contact for any safeguarding concern about a BizTeach user and is responsible for reporting to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, and to An Garda Síochána where required.

Contact the DLP at support@bizteach.ie. If a child is in immediate danger, call 112 or 999 first.

3.How BizTeach is designed for safety

  • No contact between users. There is no chat, messaging, comments, profiles or friend lists. Nobody can find or contact a student through BizTeach.
  • No advertising, and no data sold or shared for marketing.
  • Minimal data. We collect only what the service needs, following the Data Protection Commission's Fundamentals for a Child-Oriented Approach. See our Privacy notice.
  • Age-appropriate by default. Settings default to the most protective option, and under-16s need a parent or guardian to create their account.
  • Biz stays on topic. Our AI coach only answers questions about Leaving Certificate Business and is built to decline personal, medical, sexual, violent or otherwise inappropriate content.
  • Human oversight. Conversations with Biz are logged for a limited period so we can review safety concerns. Nobody reads them routinely.

4.If a student is worried or upset

If a student tells Biz something that suggests they are at risk, are being harmed, or are thinking of harming themselves, Biz is designed to respond with care, to encourage them to talk to a trusted adult, and to share the contacts below rather than try to counsel them. Such conversations are flagged to the DLP, who will decide what action is needed under Children First.

Support available in Ireland, free and confidential:

  • Childline (ISPCC): call 1800 66 66 66, text 50101, or chat at childline.ie. 24 hours, for anyone under 18.
  • Samaritans: call 116 123, any time.
  • Text About It: text HELLO to 50808.
  • Jigsaw youth mental health: jigsaw.ie.
  • Emergency: 112 or 999.

5.Reporting a concern

Anyone, including a student, parent, guardian or teacher, can raise a concern about a BizTeach user's safety or about something they saw on BizTeach. Email support@bizteach.ie with as much detail as you can: what happened, when, who was involved (a username is enough) and any screenshots. You do not need to be certain; if you are worried, tell us.

What we do next: the DLP records the concern, assesses it in line with Children First, and, where the threshold is met, reports it to Tusla and, if a crime may have been committed, to An Garda Síochána. We will keep you informed where we are allowed to. We handle every report in confidence and only share information with those who need it.

Concerns about a child that are unrelated to BizTeach should go directly to Tusla (tusla.ie, 'Report a concern') or the Gardaí.

6.Our people

Anyone working for BizTeach whose role involves contact with children, including reviewing Biz conversations, is vetted through the National Vetting Bureau under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016, completes Tusla's Children First e-learning, and is bound by our child safeguarding procedures [to confirm as the team grows].

7.For schools, teachers and parents

Schools using BizTeach with a class keep their own Children First obligations and their own Child Safeguarding Statement. We will support schools with any information they need from us.

For guidance on keeping young people safe online, we recommend Webwise (webwise.ie), the Department of Education's internet safety initiative, and CyberSafeKids (cybersafekids.ie).

8.Review

We review this statement at least once a year, after any significant incident, and before any major change to the product. The date at the top shows the latest version.